


Date Me, Simon Spier

by ClockworkIsWriting



Category: Simonverse | Creekwood Series - Becky Albertalli
Genre: Alternate Universe - Date Me Bryson Keller, Alternate Universe - No Emails (Simonverse), Bram Greenfeld loves Simon Spier, Date Me Bryson Keller(Kevin van Whye), M/M, POV Bram Greenfeld, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:33:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27841558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClockworkIsWriting/pseuds/ClockworkIsWriting
Summary: When it comes to theater, Simon Spier may be the most popular drama kid of Creekwood High. Not surprising, however, with his good looks and fun personality. Bram Greenfeld is totally enamored, but doubts he'll ever get to be with Simon. His chance comes one summer party, when Simon is dared to date the first person to ask him out for a week. Bram wants to use that opportunity.Because brilliant Simon Spier forgot one thing. He never said it could only be girls...
Relationships: Bram Greenfeld/Simon Spier
Comments: 37
Kudos: 55





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that I'm no native speaker, so I apologize for any mistakes!

I rarely feel out of place. I spend most of my time with Garrett, who loves soccer, WaHo, and superhero movies just as much as I do. Or I’m in the library, where I’m surrounded by bookworms. There’s normally no reason for me to feel out of place.

But Garrett’s parties are a rare exception.

It’s our last week of summer break, and he’s invited our whole year to throw a _Back To School_ party. After all, ‘we’ll be juniors and gotta enjoy the last few days of sweet freedom’. But there’s something about parties I just can’t really enjoy. Maybe it’s the loud music – Garrett’s been weirdly obsessed with German metal lately – or the huge crowd of drunk students making out in public, but right now, all I want is to crawl into my bed and enjoy some silence.

I squeeze myself through the masses of people and end up in the kitchen, which is surprisingly empty. The only ones there are Nick, Simon, Leah, Martin, Taylor, Morgan, and Anna. I look at Simon, who’s busy drinking some bright red beverage and eating who-knows-how-many Oreos. His glasses are crooked and slightly dirty, his hair as messy as always and instead of a hoodie, he’s wearing a baby blue striped T-shirt for once. He’s so beautiful. And his lips, which are covered in cookie crumbs, look so kissable. All I want to know is how soft his lips would be against mine, how he would-

Okay, so, I may have a crush on Simon. I’m not the only one who wants to have him, though. Not even the only boy. There’s a rumor that Cal Price plans to ask him out this year. And I think Anna wants him, too. I know I shouldn’t just assume, but the possibility of him being straight is much higher than him being gay. I’m not pessimistic, it’s just what it is. Statistics.

I’m brought back to reality by Simon’s loud and contagious laughter. He’s turned towards Leah, so I assume he laughed at something she said. They’re very close, and sometimes I wonder if they’re dating, or if Leah at least has a crush on him.

Simon is like a star on stage. Shining bright being the center of everything. His acting is great, and everyone basically sees him at Broadway already. He’s like the main character of the drama club, and even though Cal is the stage manager, no one can beat Simon. Everyone thinks about him, so it’s pretty much impossible for me to even consider a relationship with him.

If it’s not the sexuality that ruins my hope, it will probably be the fact that I’m nothing more than a phantom in Simon’s life. Someone who sits at his lunch table but never talks to him because he just can’t open his damn mouth.

Can you see how frustrated I am?  
“You guys should totally date”, Morgan says, earning a death glare from Anna. Simon cringes. “No, I love her, but we’re just friends”, he answers. “Do you like someone, though?”, Martin asks, and Simon shakes his head ‘no’. “You’ve never had a girlfriend before, have you?”, Anna asks. “Well, if you don’t count relationships from middle school that only last a week or two, then no, I’ve never had”, even though Simon is smiling slightly answering this, he looks uncomfortable. Like talking about girlfriends is making him uncomfortable.

_Maybe he’d rather talk about boyfriends…_

Okay, no, that thought is just simply unrealistic. There’s no way Simon could be gay. Right? Riiiight?!

I really need to calm down. This conversation is messing with my head.

“This is just stupid”, Nick says, “you could date anyone you want. So why don’t you?”.

“I just…don’t know who? Like I said, I don’t really have a crush right now. And I don’t even know my type”.

Well, I surely do. It consists of white skin, messy hair, dirty glasses, and the most gorgeous grey eyes I’ve ever seen. Not that I’ll ever tell anyone that.

“You could find it out, though”, Taylor grins, and we all turn to look at her. Simon looks confused. “How?”, he asks.

“How about a dare? Every week, you’ve got to date the first person to ask you out!”, she laughs like it’s the funniest thing she’s ever said. But everyone seems to agree that it’s a great idea.

“You should do it, Spier! I bet ladies dig you!”, Martin grins, slightly slapping Simon’s arm.

“Well, I guess I could do it”, Simon says, looking rather confident. “Are you excited about this?”, Leah asks. Simon shrugs. “I’m confident no one will ask me anyway”.

I would if I could. But I’m sadly not ready yet to out myself to the entire school or ruin my more-or-less existing friendship with my crush.

“Rules. We need rules”, Morgan says.

“Bram, dude, you’ve got an idea?”, Nick suddenly asks me, and everyone turns to look at me. I blush. I’m not used to attention.

“Uh…well…”, I struggle to find the right words, “the dare could last for three months. Maybe four”.

Everyone nods in agreement. “Four months it is”, Nick says, “five days a week”.

“What about a punishment?”, Morgan asks, and Simon glares at her like he hoped this question wouldn’t be asked.

It’s silent for a few seconds, then Martin says: “He has to talk to Ms. Albright and tell her to switch roles with me!”.

Simon pales. Everyone cheers.

They plan to play _Oliver!_ this year. They have already talked about this during our break. And if Simon gets to play the main character, switching with Martin would be an awful loss.

“And it starts next week!”, Anna says. The first week of school, then.

“Date me, Simon Spier!”, she yells, and Simon looks like he’s about to faint. “O-okay”, he smiles shakily, “a promise is a promise”.

A few more rules are decided, especially to make sure that Simon won’t be uncomfortable.

And this is how it started. A simple dare and everyone will be able to live my dream, even if it’s just for a week.

I can’t wait to see how that will turn out…


	2. Monday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I look into his grey eyes, those I love so much, and say:  
> “Date me, Simon Spier.”

**_3 months later_ **

**Monday**

It’s been exactly three months and two weeks since the dare started, and we only have two weeks left until it’s over. Simon was proved wrong - everyone asked him, every week. There hasn’t been a week where he wasn’t asked.

A new girl, Abby Suso, moved here at the beginning of the school year, and as soon as she found out about the dare, she asked him out, too. It didn’t end in a big romance, however, but instead in a very good friendship. She sits with us at lunch now, and it’s obvious just how much she likes Nick. And it’s just as obvious how much Nick likes her back. I’m honestly glad she’s not like many other girls, who crush on Simon.

One rival less.

But, as I thought, only girls ask him out, never guys. Until me, that is.

Because Simon never said it could only be girls, and even if I only have five days, five is better than none. I just want a little taste of what I could have.

Is that masochistic? Probably.

Do I care? Not really.

It’s Monday, and I have to be quick to ask him out. I have no idea who plans the same this week.

I start my morning routine like always; getting up at six-thirty, make breakfast for my mom and me, look over my homework, and get ready to go to school.

My mom enters the kitchen as I place the eggs on our plate.

“Good Morning”, she yawns and sits down on her usual chair. I give her the plate, and she gives a grateful smile.

“How did you sleep?” I ask.

“Oh, great. I had this weird dream about AC/DC singing ‘Never gonna give you up’ at a Justin Bieber concert”. She continues to talk about everything, and just like every morning, she takes care of the dishwasher while I go back upstairs to get my bag and leave.

My mom always leaves at around seven-thirty and won’t return home until late afternoon. I’m used to it; I don’t mind it. But this week would be perfect. I could take Simon on dates and wouldn’t have to explain anything to her.

If I get to ask Simon this week, that is.

I climb into my car and leave.

\-----

I‘m about to walk into school when I hear Garrett call my name. He puts his arm around my shoulders and leans against me.

„Mornin’ Abraham. Guess what“, he grins. He knows that I hate being called Abraham. But I don’t think that’s the reason he’s grinning this big.

„What?“.

„I’ve got special news“.

News from Garrett could mean anything. From „My great-great-uncle died“, to “Chelsey Brunner gave Christopher Malley a blowjob in a broom closet”, you never know what you get.

“Did someone receive a blowjob in a closet again?”, I ask, and Garrett laughs.

“Better! Guess who plans to ask Spier out this week!”.

Shortly after the dare started, someone created the Hashtag ‘DateMeSimonSpier’, and every news related to that topic will be posted on Creeksecrets. I rarely check that site, though. Garrett does, however. So it’s really no surprise he knows, especially since Simon is one of our lunch buddies.

My heart beats faster. “Who?”.

“Cal Price”.

My heart drops.

Cal and Simon have rehearsal together. But I can picture it in my head. Cal is almost like Simon’s white, artistic soulmate, who likes theater and can actually talk to him. Because of this dare, they could actually end up together, and I'd be forced to watch them being in love for the rest of High School.

Okay, I’m probably exaggerating, but still. If I can prevent it, I will. I’ll just have to be faster than him.

I gently push his arm away and walk faster.

„Cool”, I just say, trying to sound as casual as possible and make a beeline for my locker. Garrett doesn’t ask questions. He never does unless it’s necessary, and I’m grateful for that. I feel like I can’t breathe. I have to do it.

\-----

I have Simon in algebra, and I can’t stop staring at him.

How do you ask someone out, even if it’s just for a week?

How do you ask someone out when you can’t even talk to them?

I can’t focus on a single thing Mr. Warner is telling us. All I see is Simon a few rows to the left, looking like he’s trying to focus. His fingers are restlessly tapping against the table surface, and I’d love to see what’s going on in his mind.

The lesson ends, and I’ve made up my mind. As he’s about to leave the classroom, I stop him by putting my hand on his shoulder. He’s warm.

“Simon”, I say as quietly as I can, and he looks at me in surprise.

“Oh, hey, Bram! What’s up?”, he smiles at me, and I feel like I’m floating.

“Uh...Did anyone ask you out yet?”, I ask, and he blushes lightly.

“No, not yet. Why?.”

I swallow. Now is my chance. Everyone left. We’re alone.

I look into his grey eyes, those I love so much, and say:

“Date me, Simon Spier.”

He stares at me, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone this shocked. He shakes his head, and his stare turns so intense, I feel like I’m about to be interrogated. It feels like he sees me for the first time. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing.

He looks around, grabs my sleeve, and pulls me out of the room, across the hallway. He stops once, looks around again before pulling me into the empty auditorium.

We end up in the boy’s dressing room. I sit down on one of the benches, and he sits down next to me. But he never stops staring.

“You...you are...”, he stutters, breaking the silence.

He doesn’t have to say the word. “Yeah”, I reply, “I am.”

“Wow”, he whispers, looking almost fascinated.

“Is...is that a problem?”, I ask. I don’t think Simon would be homophobic - he’s just way too nice and carefree for that - but you can never know in Shady Creek.

“What? No, of course not! Are you out or-?”

I shake my head. He nods. “Okay, I won’t tell anyone”. I exhale in relief. Then I realize that I just came out for the first time in my life, and something inside of me relaxed. It feels exhilarating.

“Okay, so, how do you want to do this? We could...date in private, and I’ll just keep whoever I’m dating a secret. Your choice.”

Wait.

So, he’ll date me? He didn’t laugh at me; he didn’t reject me.

_He accepted._

My throat feels dry. “Yeah, in private sounds good. I’m not ready to come out to everyone yet.”

He nods again. “Okay, Bram Greenfeld! You’ll be my boyfriend for this week!”, he announces, and him calling me his boyfriend fills my stomach with the most colorful butterflies. I can’t remember the last time I was this happy. I got the boy. And I will use these five days. Nothing matters anymore except for the fact that I’m dating Simon Spier.

But his smile is so big and genuine, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile his big at the beginning of the week since the dare started. But I’m probably just imagining things.

I try to smile at him. „How do you normally do this?“, I ask, and his grin widens. But there’s nothing mocking about it. Just pure joy.

„Are you asking me how to date, Bram?”

I blush. His gaze softens as he puts his hand on my shoulder. „It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

He takes his hand away and plays with a loose string on his jeans.

„I normally take my date to WaHo after school. But if you want to do something else this week, tell me.”

„Well, I’m free after school“, I say, and he laughs. His laugh is contagious, so I can’t help but laugh along.

The bell rings. We have to go.

„Give me your phone“, he demands, „gotta give you my number.”

My hands are shaking when he grabs it. Only a few seconds later he gives it back to me. He saved himself as ‚Si‘, with a heart emoji, and when I look at him in surprise, he winks at me.

„This is the first time I’ve done this“, he confesses, then pats my arm gently. „See you later“, he says, then walks out.

I’m dating Simon Spier. My heart feels like it’s about to burst.

\-----

School can’t be over soon enough. I normally love school. I love to learn new things, read about new things, and to see my friends. But all I want right now is to sit in a booth at WaHo and spend some time with Simon.

I’m praying for my mouth to work this time. I love silence, but awkward silences definitely do not count.

When the final bell rings, he waits for me outside of my classroom. „Ready to go?“, he asks, and I stiffly nod as he leads me to his car. „I will drive you back to school after this, so you can get your car”, he says, and I thank him.

We climb into his car, and he asks me if it’s okay to listen to his music. I don’t mind, so I tell him. He smiles, almost shyly, and chooses a pretty slow and quiet song. I look at the title.

Waltz #2 by Elliott Smith

“You like Elliott Smith?”, I ask. He nods wildly.

“I love him! It’s one of my favorite songs. But _Between the Bars_ and _Oh Well, Ok_ are great, too”. He starts this monologue about Smith’s music and concerts, and I can’t help but smile. His passion for old music is just way too adorable. It makes me want to cuddle him and never let go.

We arrive at Waffle House. We choose a booth at the back where no one can disturb us, and pretty quickly Simon orders the biggest and richest in calories menus WaHo has to offer. I’m actually impressed. I didn’t think someone of Simon’s size and frame could eat and drink this much. But apparently, he has a huge appetite. It makes me want to cook for him every day. Something simple, but domestic, that will satisfy my gay fantasies.

“It’s actually fascinating”, Simon says after a few moments of silence, “we’ve been sitting at the same lunch table since Freshman Year, and we barely know each other”. I agree. I know exactly what he means.

“Tell me a little bit about yourself.”

I raise my brows. “Like what?”

He thinks for a few moments. “Why did you move to Atlanta, and where do you actually come from?”

I don’t often open up about my parents’ divorce, but I think now is a good time. I want to do this right, and Simon asked nicely.

So, I tell him everything. About Savannah, and my parents’ divorce when I was eight, and how shocking it was to find out about my dad having a new woman in his life.

This whole time, Simon listens, hangs to every word, like I’m the only person in this universe that matters to him. Even when the waitress brought us our ridiculous amount of food, Simon doesn’t dig in. He just stares at me with his huge mooneyes.

“My mom got a job at the hospital. She’s an epidemiologist, and she wanted to use that opportunity”, I explain, “my parents don’t hate each other. But after my father remarried, their relationship soured, at least from my mom’s side, so once she had the chance to leave everything behind, she did.”

We talk a bit more about families. I find out that Simon’s parents are high school sweethearts, and that he has a big sister in college.

He tells me about dinner with his family, and how he can’t just tell a story, but has to reenact it. “That’s probably one of the reasons I love drama so much”, he remarks, “I just grew up with it. It’s normal to me”. I find it endearing.

We eat our food and before I realize it, three hours have passed with nothing but talking and getting to know one another.

“No, Garrett is great, and I’m happy to be his friend” - not that I’ll ever tell him that - “but I definitely don’t want to be dating him. That would be exhausting.”

Simon laughs at that, “I get what you mean. Dating Nick would be hell, too.”

I don’t know if he picked Nick as an example because I’m gay, or because he’s secretly trying to hint at something. Maybe I’m just looking into this too much.

He brings me back to school, and once I’m sitting in my car, the reality of things catch up with me. I just had lunch with Simon, he’s my boyfriend, and it’s been one of the best afternoons I’ve had in months.

This night, Simon messages me, saying, “ _good night. Can’t wait to see u tomorrow_ ”, and I fall asleep peacefully, a huge, lovestruck smile stuck to my face.


	3. Tuesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Okay”, she answers, with narrowed eyes and a butthole mouth that reminds me of middle school, “sure, I’ll be your alibi”. Simon breathes out a sigh of relief.

**Tuesday**

“ _Don’t drive to school. I will drive u. Give me ur address plz_ ”, is the first message I receive from Simon this morning.

I send him my location, and he answers immediately with, “ _ok see u in 20_ ”.

I put my mom’s breakfast on her plate, put it on the table, and go back to my room. She leaves her room once I arrive upstairs, and she looks at me in surprise. “What’s going on with you?”, she asks, “why are you in such a hurry?”. “I’ll be picked up in a few minutes. I put your breakfast onto the table”.

“Garrett?”.

“No, Simon”.

“Who’s that?.

“My...”

_Boyfriend._

“... friend from school”.

She nods in understanding. “Okay, I’d like to meet this mystery friend one day”.

“You will”, I say, and enter my room.

I put on the nicest clothes I can find. I don’t know what Simon has planned for today. Since I’m not on Creeksecrets that often, I don’t know what he does with dates, nor what’s going with that hashtag.

I go outside, and, true to his word, Simon’s car stops in front of our driveway exactly twenty minutes after he messaged me. I open the door and sit down next to him. “Good morning”, he greets me, smiling at me, and I feel my heart beat faster. Smiling Simon has this effect on me. “Good morning. What is our plan for today?”.

He starts driving and looks deep in thought. “What would you like to do?”.

“You mean after our obligatory WaHo visit?”.

He grimaces. “We don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. I’m seriously interested in what you do after school.”

“Usually my homework”. We both laugh.

“Okay, that’s honest”, he chuckles, “but please tell me our second date won’t be a study date.”

My stomach flips at the word ‘date’. “Don’t worry”, I manage out, and I haven’t heard my voice this high since I was twelve, “not my plan”. I want to use my time with Simon well. Even if I have to do chemistry at two in the morning, I will do it at two in the morning.

Okay, if my mom taught me one thing, it’s that honesty in a relationship is important. Even though mine is only fake. But there is this one fantasy I’ve always wanted to do with Simon, and now that I have the chance, I better use it.

“There is something I want to do”, I say, “if you’re okay with it.“

His eyes don’t leave the road, but he smiles reassuringly, nonetheless. „Shoot.“

“I have soccer practice after school. My mom won’t be home until late evening, so I pretty much have the house to myself. We could cook something together and, if there’s still time, watch a movie? We could also postpone it to tomorrow, though.”

He blushes and looks surprised but pleased. „Okay, that can be arranged. I have rehearsal, too, so we can still meet up afterward “.

Simon tells me about what he did yesterday after he dropped me off, and there are these little details that I never knew about him but that seem so important now.

We arrive at school, and Simon parks next to Garrett right when the latter is about to get out of his car. He looks at us in surprise, and I briefly wave at him. “Dude”, he says when I get out, “didn’t know you’re close to Spier”.

I remember that no one knows about me dating Simon. Hell, Garrett doesn't even know I'm gay.

“We met in WaHo yesterday and decided to hang out”, Simon lies. Garrett nods. “Well, I’m glad you’ve finally realized that only being friends with your homework is not the right way to live”, he jokes, making Simon laugh. Probably because of our conversation before.

“Ah, Spier, there’s something I wanted to ask you”. Simon looks at him expectantly.

“Who are you dating this week?.”

“Why do you ask?”, Simon asks confused.

“Because no one posted anything on the hashtag yesterday. Did Cal Price ask you?.”

“Cal? What-“

“So it wasn’t him?.”

“No.”

“Then who is it?”

Simon stares at him for a moment. Then:

“Leah.”

Garrett looks shocked. “Leah?”

The lie was pretty good, but I feel bad for Garrett right now. He looks like a kicked puppy left in the rain. “Yeah, she asked me. It’s easy that way, right? Just two friends hanging out”. Garrett nods and looks slightly relieved. I don’t think Simon knows about Garrett’s feelings for his best friend. But he doesn’t have to explain his decisions either. Maybe he saw Garrett’s sudden change in mood? I don’t know.

Garrett quickly excuses himself and catches up with some soccer guys to go inside. Simon and I look at each other. He shrugs and starts to walk in the direction of the entrance. I quickly follow.

\-----

I think five days are better than I first realized. I can’t focus on anything. I don’t know what the teachers are talking about, I’m not in the mood to even look at my homework, and my mind is this constant yelling of _Simon, Simon, Simon._

So I think only five days won’t completely ruin my grades or school reputation.

I’m really looking forward to our date later. Having Simon in my space, cooking with him, and watching a movie is a reality that both excites me, and yet completely terrifies me.

I probably sound like the most boring teenager to ever exist. Others my age would probably use that opportunity to have sex or to do other dirty things hormone-driven teenagers usually want to do. And I will admit that I have fantasized about Simon in a lot of promising positions before, but just because I dream about them late at night doesn’t mean I have to act them out in real life. There are boundaries I don’t want to cross, and the last thing I want to do is to make Simon uncomfortable. I want to use these five days to get to know him better. I don’t think I’ll even get kissed. I’ve never seen him kiss any of his previous dates, so why should I have any exceptions?

\-----

Leah looks pissed when we arrive at lunch. “Simon”, she hisses once he sits down next to her, “why does everyone think we’re dating?”.

Simon swallows. “About that…”, he whispers, meeting my gaze, “there’s something Bram and I need to tell you”.

Leah looks at me confused. “Bram? Since when do you talk to Bram?”.

“Since yesterday. Now come on”.

He pulls her out of the cafeteria, and I make sure to follow suit. We stop in an empty hallway. “Okay, so what is going on?”, she asks.

“Bram and I are dating”, Simon blurts out, and Leah’s eyes widen, “but Bram is not out, so we wanted to keep it a secret. We- we had to lie to Garrett because Bram is not out to anyone yet. So yeah, can you please be my alibi for this week?”. Leah stares t him first, then at me. “So you’re…”, she starts, and I nod before she can finish it. I don’t need her to say the words in a school where everyone could walk in and hear us any time.

“Okay”, she answers, with narrowed eyes and a butthole mouth that reminds me of middle school, “sure, I’ll be your alibi”. Simon breathes out a sigh of relief.

Leah looks at me and examines me closely. Then she nods. “Good choice”, she says, then turns around to walk in the opposite direction, leaving Simon and I dumbfounded.

Now I’m out to two people, and none of them are Garrett. I feel like I owe him an apology at this point.

\-----

Garrett and I are the first ones to arrive at soccer practice. He takes the ball and kicks it further onto the field, running after it. I follow.

We’re completely alone. Now is my chance.

“Garrett”, I say, and he answers me with a deep hum. We continue to walk.

I psyche myself up. I can do this. I should do this. Garrett has been nothing but supportive of me, and if Simon and Leah can accept me, why shouldn’t my best friend.

But maybe that’s exactly it. Because he is my best friend. Because he knows me best. Two – almost – strangers accept me because they couldn’t care less, but Garrett cares. And I secretly really care about his opinion.

I look around for the last time. I see Tobias, Sam, and Jake sit down on the bleachers, but none of them seem to see us. “I’m gay”, I eventually say, and Garrett stops dead in his tracks. He looks at me, looks serious for a moment before he starts to beam at me. It’s not his usual teasing smirk, but a genuine, happy smile instead. A rare sight, and one that instantly makes breathing easier. “Dude, that’s great!”, he says, “thank you for telling me”. I exhale a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“So, is there a boy I should know about?”, he asks, wiggling his brows. Oh god, I should have known he would ask questions.

“Maybeeee”, I reply.

“I knew it! It’s Spier, isn’t it?!”. _Oh god._

“Am I this obvious?”

“Yes.”

I groan. He laughs. “But is Spier, you know…”, he looks around. Everyone’s talking by the bleachers now, but the coach isn’t there yet, and everyone else is ignoring us.

“I don’t know. But I’m dating him this week”. Garrett gapes at me.

“So Leah-“

“-is just an alibi so people wouldn’t ask questions because I’m not ready to come out to the whole school yet? Yes.” Garrett just mutters a ‘wow’. He pats me on the back: “Good for you man. At least I won’t have any competition now. Girls love you”.

Then we’re called back to the rest of the team by our coach. Garrett sometimes looks at me with this secret smile on his face, and I feel forever lucky to have him.

\-----

Once I leave the locker room I see Simon standing outside, waiting for me. He looks up from his phone and smiles once he sees me. It makes me feel weirdly warm inside.

“Hey Bram!”, he hugs me, and everywhere he touches me feels like fire, even though we’re separated by our clothes. “How was the game?”, he asks. Nick told me about how little Simon knows about sports, so him asking really makes my day.

I tell him a bit about the game, trying to keep it as simple for him as possible, and he tells me about his play in return. He’s always so passionate about drama, and to be the one he tells his little stories to is making me just as excited, even though I have no idea about theater and am a terrible actor.

He drives us to my place, and once we head inside, he looks around. I realize that it’s his first time in my house, and I’m praying to god my room isn’t that messy. I’m not a disorganized person by any means, but I rarely expect visitors other than Garrett.

“Okay, what do you want to cook?”, I ask, and he thinks about it for a few moments.

“We could google a Gordon Ramsay recipe and make that”, he says. This answer is so unexpected that it makes me laugh. “And what? Do you want to put my kitchen on fire?”.

“Maybe”, he counters, and we laugh again.

I don’t know if this was supposed to be a joke, but in the end, we really look up an easy recipe by Ramsay. We make “easy” sliders Simon found in a YouTube video. I’m pretty sure Mom needed those ingredients for other dishes, so I have to make sure to replace them as soon as possible.

“Okay, Boss, tell me what to do”, he demands in a fake-serious voice, and I have to suppress a snort. “Get the lettuce and some condiments you want from the fridge. Then cut the lettuce into little pieces we can put on our sliders.”

He does so, patiently cutting the salad while I’m taking out the meat to cook in the pan. We follow the instructions Gordon tells us in the video, and Simon and I work in concentrated, but comfortable silence. I’m astonished by how well we work together. We just started to talk to one another yesterday, and yet being with him feels like I’ve known him forever.

Even if this ends after five days, I still want to stay friends with him.

At some point, we don’t need any more instructions, and Simon breaks the silence by asking: “What is your most embarrassing memory?”. I blush. “Do I have to answer that?”.

“If you tell me your story, I will tell you mine, too. Though it will be hard to pick. My life is filled with such memories”, he laughs. I think about it for a while.

“When I was a child I used to have this big plushie of Barney the dinosaur. I wanted to take him with me to kindergarten, but my mom never allowed it. But when she did, I got nervous because everyone kept staring at me. So I started to suck on his hand. Let’s just say one good thing about moving away is that no one calls you dinosucker anymore”. Simon laughs. “That’s not embarrassing, that’s adorable!”. I smile slightly. “Okay, tell me one of yours, then”. He doesn’t even have to think about it.

“When I was six my family and I went to the local swimming pool. At some point I really had to fart”, he puts a lot of emphasis on ‘really’, “so I did. But it wasn’t a fart. When I saw what I had done, I hoped no one realized it was me. When we were driving home, however, my dad started to sing ‘turd, turd, turd. Turd is the word’ and winked at me through the driving mirror. So yeah, please believe me when I say that I’m not that disgusting anymore”. We both laugh. “Well, and please believe me when I say that I’m not sucking on plushies anymore”. We put everything together and get ready to eat. “I don’t”, he says, smiling at me. And there is something so happy about it that I can’t help but smile back.

\-----

We talk even more as we eat. And I completely lose track of time, because in the middle of washing the dishes, I hear the door open, and my mom yells: “Honey, I’m home!”. I look at the clock on the kitchen wall. 07:43 PM.

“Hey, mom! I have a friend over!”, I yell back, warning her so she won’t be surprised.

“Is it Garrett?”

“No, it’s Simon.”

Then she rushes in. She brushes some curls out of her face, then smiles. “Oh, it’s nice to meet you, Simon. Bram told me so much about you!”.

“No I didn’t”, I counter, but she simply shushes me.

Simon looks almost overwhelmed by the sudden encounter. “Nice to meet you too, Ms. Greenfeld”, he eventually says with a slight smile on his face.

“Please, call me Janette.”

She asks him some more questions while I put the rest of the plates away.

“Did you cook?”, she asks, and I nod. “We made some sliders. We used the beef in the freezer”:

Mom sighs. “I wanted to use that for my beef stew”.

“I could drive to Walmart after school tomorrow and replace everything we used today”, I offer. She smiles slightly at that. She looks tired. “Okay, thank you”.

“I should leave”, Simon suddenly says, “I don’t want to make my family worry about me”.

Mom smiles at him. “Feel free to come over again, Simon”. He nods, smiling back. “Thank you…Janette”.

Seeing my crush somewhat bond with my mother makes me happier than anything I’ve ever witnessed in my life.

I follow Simon to the door. He opens it and turns around to face me. “So, this movie date…”, he starts. “We could still do it if you want to. Only if you want to”, I answer. “Of course I want to!”, he replies.

I remember one lunch where Nick and Simon had this huge argument about Harry Potter, so I suggest: “Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone?”. His eyes start to twinkle. It looks like a moon with a thousand stars. “I’ll bring the Oreos!”, he says, then hugs me tightly. I hug him back just as tightly. Maybe we are hugging for longer than necessary, but neither of us let go. And if Simon doesn’t mind, I sure as hell don’t. He eventually lets go and smiles for the last time before disappearing into the darkness of the winter night.


	4. Wednesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you always like this?” he asks, and dread fills me on the inside. “Like what?” I ask carefully.  
> “So gentle. Attentive. Charming. You name it,” he doesn’t look at me when he says it, and I’m still scared I crossed some line and made him uncomfortable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year! This update may be a bit shorter than the other chapters, but I hope you’ll enjoy it anyways!

**Wednesday**

Simon picks me up at the same time as yesterday. When I get into his car, the first thing he asks is: “So, what time should I come to your place? I talked to my mom, and she was fine with anything as long as I don’t forget my curfew.”

I think about it. “My mom will return at the same time as yesterday, so I think we should meet after school, or sometime later.”

He nods. “Can we go to WaHo again? I’m craving waffles.”

“Sure, but pancakes are clearly superior.”

He gasps, putting a hand over his heart as if wounded. I grin slightly, even though I’m sure he can’t see it. “Bram freaking Greenfeld! You can’t be serious!”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” I answer, reaching over to pat his shoulder. He smiles.

For the rest of the ride, we discuss whether waffles or pancakes are the better breakfast food. And again, the same thought that haunts me since Monday invades my thoughts again.

_I don’t want this week to end._

\-----

In English class, Simon sits down at the desk next to mine. I think nothing much of it – even though I’m pretty much ecstatic on the inside – until halfway into the period. He throws a piece of paper onto my table. When I turn to look at him, he stares at me, urging me to read it.

**Let’s go to the GS during lunch. Need to get essentials for the movie**

I’m assuming GS stands for ‘grocery store’. But my heart is beating wildly in my chest. So Simon is thinking about this date as much as I am. That’s a relief. And thrilling to hear, too.

**I assume by essentials you mean Oreos.**

I fold the paper and throw it back at him. He reads it and bursts out laughing. In a surprised kind of way. Everyone turns to look at him.

“Mr. Spier, please share with the class what you find so funny,” Mr. Wise says, and Simon blushes. “Nothing…I’m sorry,” Simon answers, and Wise glares at him impatiently for a last time before moving on.

He quickly writes his reply.

**I always knew you were funny in your head. But yes, Oreos are essential to everything. So I take that as a yes?**

He looks smug when I look at him. I write down my reply, and I’m not sure if I should just write something else. Maybe I’m making him uncomfortable. After all, I don’t know if he’s gay. He could just be doing this because it’s a rule, or because he’s nice, or something. But I give it to him anyway.

**I’d go anywhere as long as you’re there with me.**

He gasps quietly, blushes, and stares at the note as if he’s reading it over and over again. He doesn’t reply, but he doesn’t need to.

For the remainder of the class, I feel him stare at me.

\-----

Once lunch finally comes, Simon waits at my locker. I put my books away, and he grabs my sleeve to drag me to his car. It’s raining.

We quickly hide inside his car, but we’re still somewhat soaked. Neither of us has rehearsal or practice today, so that’s a win.

Simon gives me his phone and tells me to pick a song while he starts driving. I scroll through his playlists for a moment, before deciding on Try A Little Tenderness by Otis Redding. Then I look down and see that I have an unread message from Garrett.

_Ohhhhh so you and Spier aren’t here for lunch_ , Lenny face, _does that mean my Brammy boy finally gets the D he deserves?_

I roll my eyes fondly. _Yes, I’m with Simon_ , I reply, _but please don’t talk about his penis. It’s not yours_ , laughing emoji.

Garrett reply quickly, _so it’s yours then? Good for you man!!!_

I don’t even bother replying to that. I put my phone away.

“What are your essentials?” I ask.

“Oreos, obviously. And no movie is complete without Popcorn. And soda, too.”

I look at him. “Your diet really doesn’t sound healthy.”

“Who needs a diet if there are so many delicious things to eat out there, Bram? I only live once. Gotta enjoy it.” He smiles.

Simon is skinny. Not skinny that it looks unhealthy, but he’s definitely not chubby, and not muscular either. I’ve imagined him without a shirt before, but I’ve never seen the real deal. And to be honest, I’m kind of curious.

I’d never ask him to undress for me, though. No, no, no, not in a million years. No.

“I like Reese’s,” I say. “Then we’ll get that, too!” he says.

I’m getting more and more excited about this afternoon.

\-----

Once we’re back inside his car, our food thrown onto the backseat, we are completely soaked. The fabric of my jeans cling to legs, and Simon’s hair is sticking onto his forehead. He tries to dry his glasses with his Hoodie, which is just as soaked as the rest.

I reach forward and brush his wet hair out of his face. He blushes and glances at me.

“Are you always like this?” he asks, and dread fills me on the inside. “Like what?” I ask carefully.

“So gentle. Attentive. Charming. You name it,” he doesn’t look at me when he says it, and I’m still scared I crossed some line and made him uncomfortable.

“Uh…no. Only with you, I guess. Because you’re my boyfriend this week, and-“ I start this monologue, rambling on and on about how I’ve never done this before and how everyone in a relationship should be treated with respect and kindness, no matter for how long it lasts. He listens for a while, then cuts me off my taking my hand. My skin feels like it’s on fire.

“It’s okay. Really, I like it. A lot,” he assures me, smiling softly, and I swallow and nod.

“How much time do we have left until the end of lunch?” I ask in hopes to change the topic.

He grabs his phone. “Twenty minutes,” he says, but never let’s go of my hand.

“You know, Bram, you’d be a great boyfriend,” he says, “too bad it’s just a dare for this week.” I don’t know what to reply, so I just keep quiet.

I feel like Simon is trying to tell me something.

\-----

After school, Simon is waiting for me in front of my locker again. “Ready for WaHo?” he asks, and I nod as we leave the school together. We talk about our orders for a while, then move on to talk about family, memories, and the past. Talking to Simon is like catching up with an old friend you haven’t seen in a while. If cute boys didn’t get me tongue-tied, I probably would have talked to Simon much earlier. Maybe even during our freshman year. Because right now I feel like I almost wasted two years of my life, just not talking to a guy who could be my best friend – even though I’d love him to be more than that.

We don’t stop talking for the whole drive, all through WaHo, and even when we enter my house, get bowls and glasses from the kitchen and start to get cozy in the living room, we never stop talking. I always thought I knew Simon Spier to some extent, but now I realize how much of a stranger he really was, how many unknown sides there are of him that I’ve never seen before until now. It’s exhilarating. It makes me feel special like he tells me all these stories, experiences, and feelings because he trusts me.

He maybe does. I do trust him, I know that. He knows my biggest secret – the one, not even my family knows about – and there’s no chance I would have told him if I didn’t trust him.

As Simon puts all the snacks onto the table, I turn on the TV, grab the DVD for _The Sorcerer’s Stone,_ and put it into the DVD player. Simon squeals in excitement when he sees the Warner Brother’s logo on the screen, and I turn my back towards him so he wouldn’t see the huge, lovestruck smile making its way onto my face.

I sit down on the sofa, spread out my legs, and put them on the coffee table. Simon sits down next to me, puts his legs over mine, and I cover us with a throw blanket. He grabs one of the many packages of Oreos we bought, and hands me one, before eating his Oreo in one bite. I raise my brow at him, and he smiles slightly before swallowing. “I think you should always feel comfortable in a relationship,” Simon says, “you shouldn’t hide yourself, because your partner should accept everything about you. Even the weird sides. Right?”

I clear my throat. I feel like we’re in his car during our lunch break all over again. “Definitely”, I answer, “and just so you know, I do accept every side of you, so you really don’t have to hide”.

Simon grins. It looks like he wants to look nonchalant or cool, but he looks so pleased and happy, like rays of sunshine. I have this feeling my words affected Simon, in a way I don’t really understand, and he doesn’t want to show yet. So I pretend I didn’t interpret anything into it, and press play.

Simon grabs the bowl of Popcorn and puts it on his lap before leaning back and laying his head on my collarbone, partially hiding his face in the crook of my neck. I lift my shaky hands to put them on his thigh and his waist. He snuggles closer and breathes in deeply, relaxing even further.

I hope he doesn’t hear – or feel – my rapid heartbeat. I’ve never cuddled before, neither with a girl nor a guy, and it’s the first time I’m this close to Simon. Not even our hugs can compare. I can smell his sweet shampoo, feel his heat under my fingertips, and know that we can stay in this position for two and a half hours and don’t have to hide or force us apart. It feels natural, like it was always meant to be, to hold another boy in my arms and I mentally confirm that _yes, I am definitely, 100 percent, undoubtedly gay._

Simon excitedly watches the movie; I honestly don’t know how many times he’s watched them before. I lift my hand and remove it from his thigh to grab another Oreo, and as soon as I’ve eaten it, Simon grabs my hand to put it back on his thigh. I smile, lift the hand that’s on his waist, and start to stroke his hair, massaging his scalp.

His hair is just as soft as I’ve always imagined, and a few minutes pass before I realize that I’ve never stopped massaging him. I hear soft snores and look down a little to see that he’s fast asleep, his face still hidden in the crook of my neck.

I smile, lean my head against his before dozing off as well.

\-----

I don’t know for how long I was asleep, but when I wake up, Simon is still peacefully sleeping against me, the TV shows the DVD’s menu and my mother is standing in front of the coffee table with her phone in hand, clearly having taken a picture of us.

I swallow. I didn’t want her to find out yet.

We lock eyes when she realizes that I’ve woken up, and I carefully remove Simon from my side and lie him down onto the sofa to go talk to my mom somewhere else. We end up in the kitchen, where she makes herself a coffee.

“Slept well? You’ve seemed very tired lately,” she says after a few minutes, finally breaking the silence. “Eh, yeah. It was alright.” She nods. “Didn’t realize Simon and you were suddenly this close. I’ve just met him yesterday and now you’re already cuddling in front of the TV.”

I try to avoid eye contact. But I need to say it.

“Mom…I’m gay,” I manage out, and my voice cracks at the end.

She kisses my forehead and smiles when I look up. “I know, baby,” she says, “I’ve had an inkling for a while now. How you never talked about girls, how you always said you don’t have time to date because of school. Everything eventually lead me to start questioning things.”

I hum in affirmation.

“Are you two dating?” she asks. I shake my head, then shrug. “Kind of?” I answer, and she raises her brow. “Kind of?” she repeats, “how are you dating ‘kind of’?”

I decide to tell her about the dare, and how I wanted to use that opportunity to know what it would be like to date Simon, even though our ‘relationship’, if you can even call it that, will end on Friday, right after school.

She listens, the whole time, then takes a sip of her coffee and glances over to the living room, where Simon is still fast asleep.

“I hope he treats you right,” she says, “but since it’s just to pretend I guess I don’t have to teach you about safe sex, right?”

“Mom!” I yell, then cover my mouth and look back. Simon stirred in his sleep, but I don’t know if he woke up. “Please, don’t tell me about safe sex now!” I beg, this time not as loud, and she laughs quietly.

“Go wake up your partner.”, she says, “It’s almost eight. I think he should go home soon”. I look at the clock. I really didn’t realize how late it already is.

I go back to the living room and gently shake his shoulder. “Simon”, I say, “Simon, wake up. It’s time to go.”

I put my hand on his cheek and rub my thumb over the soft skin. He opens his eyes halfway and stares at me for a few seconds before sitting up, saying “I think I want you,” and kissing me on the cheek. It only lasts for a few seconds, but I am very aware of how soft his lips are. It makes me want to kiss him.

He quickly realizes what he’s done and pulls away with wide-open eyes. He looks terrified, and it breaks my heart.

“I…I think it’s time to leave,” I say, and his face crumbles. I realize what I must have sounded like, so I try to correct myself by adding: “I mean, it’s late. I don’t want you to miss your curfew and get in trouble.”

He nods, but quickly pushes me away and jumps up. He runs to the door, yells, “see you tomorrow” before disappearing into the darkness. I run after him, try to stop him, but once I look at him, he looks at me with this terrified face, like he wants to tell me ‘I’m not ready yet’, and I let it go, let him drive away. I don’t even know what will happen tomorrow, what our plans are, but I know one thing.

We need to talk about this.


End file.
